To Avoid Korean Law, YouTube Disables Some Features

April 13, 2009 at 4:41 pm PT

YouTube’s cat-and-mouse game with governments abroad continues.

To avoid a South Korean law that would require users who upload or comment on videos to first register with their real names, YouTube last week disabled those two features on its local Korean site, according to the company. The move garnered new attention Monday, after it was reported by a Korean publication, Hankyoreh.

Scott Rubin, a spokesman for YouTube parent Google (GOOG), said it devised the compromise because it believes in users’ rights to be anonymous online. He notes that users in Korea can upload and comment on videos by changing their country settings to another geographic zone. And users of the Korean site can still watch videos anonymously.

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Tagged with: anonymity, comment, digital, Digits, frontpage, Google, Hankyoreh, Internet, Jessica E. Vascellaro, register, Scott Rubin, social networking, South Korea, The Wall Street Journal, upload, YouTube

comments so far. Add yours.

Bjorn Tipling

South Korea is like this blog then, because you guys also require a real name for comments. :(
Journal Rhythm

“everything’s fine guys, everybody just lie, alright?
change your preferences to a nation that’s not yours.
just like you were forced to before in other wars.”

YouTube imposes ideas on Korea
at the same time saying “don’t post yours, either!”
that’s some hypocritical political bull
and after 8 years of Bush I’m full

to hear me rap my full opinion, watch:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCCm_PTpnPM

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